Partially refinishing.

[NancyJohnson]

I've seen a bass on eBay where someone has painted flowers on the original finish and the clear-coated over it. It's a set neck bass.

Would it be possible to rub back the finish to remove the flowers and then clear-coat or is it more a case of stripping it all back and refinishing?

[darkandrew]

If you're very lucky and the original finish is polyurethane, and the new clear coat is cellulose based then you will be able to remove it chemically and then just polish off the flowers. However, the chances are that the new clear coat is an off the shelf can of acrylic or polyurethane lacquer which is going to be harder to remove. I had a similar, but smaller scale, issue with a bass I bought where the previous owner had "dinked" the corner near the jack socket and caused a bulls eye cracking of the poly clear coat. I had to very (and I mean VERY) carefully sand off the cracked lacquer, to repair it, and stop before I went through to the coloured layer underneath it. Even for a small area (about the size of a 5p) this was tricky and for a whole body is probably not something that I would undertake unless I was happy to strip it down all the way and start again.

Edited September 9, 2017 by darkandrew

[NancyJohnson]

It's like this. I do wonder what people are thinking sometimes. A white Hamer Cruisebass is my first choice. It's cheap (£300/zero bids). We'll see.

If the neck and headstock are OK, then there's an easy demarcation line to getting the body re-done. I'd really want to preserve the headstock facia.
P

Edited September 9, 2017 by NancyJohnson

[Pete1967]

Given what it is, I'd stick a few quid on the original colour coat being polyester, in which case you may well be able to sand off the new clear coat and get the flowers off without going through it, because poly coats are usually pretty thick and bomb proof. The advantage of poly is that it's really stable once fully cured so getting another clear coat over is shouldn't be a problem, but you've nailed the issue of the demarcation between the body and the neck.

[discreet]

I kind of like the flowers...

[SpondonBassed]

[quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1504954478' post='3368519']
It's like this. I do wonder what people are thinking sometimes. A white Hamer Cruisebass is my first choice. It's cheap (£300/zero bids). We'll see.

If the neck and headstock are OK, then there's an easy demarcation line to getting the body re-done. I'd really want to preserve the headstock facia.
P


[/quote]

Aw cute.